KSW40: Ones to watch

Fresh on the heels of its historic show in Warsaw, Poland, KSW are looking to put a further thumb in the eye of its competitors by selling out the 3 Arena in Dublin. Close to 60,000 people came, saw and witnessed history being made as KSW packed out the PGE Stadium earlier this year. This week a sell out crowd will descend upon the 3 Arena to take in KSW’s 40th show.

It’s a packed card, which stays true to form for KSW, and here is what I think will intrigue, beguile and entertain you on Sunday 22nd October.

Paul Redmond vs Lukasz Chlewicki
BAMMA’s loss is KSW’s gain and after a fairly public spat that saw Redmond’s coach take to social media to vent his frustration at the lack of activity the promotion had afforded ‘Redser’ He now finds himself on a bigger platform, a larger promotion and with an organisation keen to promote his skills. Redmond is a fan favorite and will have cage rust to contend with if his last outing is anything to go by this will definitely be up for fight of the night accolades.

Mateusz Gamrot vs Norman Parke
Parke is clearly fired up for this, so much so that we may very well see a concerted effort by the Belfast man to finish arguably an opponent that he has nothing but contempt and ridicule for. We all know the backstory but what’s compelling about this clash is not only does it take place against a fairly partisan crowd but it’s the first of two title clashes that will be the making of either of the two men in question of this particular bout.

Mariusz Pudzianowski vs James McSweeny
Cleared by Safe MMA to fight we can all breathe a sigh of relief that this will indeed take place. ‘Pudz’ is a significant threat for the seasoned McSweeny who whilst battle tested is coming off a fairly significant lay off. McSweeney is by far the more accurate in the striking department which will dictate the pace of the fight. He represents a significant step up in caliber of opponent that Pudzianowski has faced of late. With ‘Pudz’s’ 40 plus years frame coming into the cage I expect McSweeny to get the job done before officially retiring on his own terms.

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Ariane Lipski vs Mariane Morais
Lipski’s dogged and unrelenting pursuit of a finish silenced the doubters in her last outing when she lifted the KSW Flyweight belt aloft following a superbly executed arm bar. In this her first defense she will look to further surprise those in attendance with her unrelenting pace, tenacity and intensity. One thing we can be certain of from the ‘Violence Queen’ is that she’ll live up to her moniker and deliver it in spades.

Chris Fields vs Michal Fijalka
Fields has hopscotched between inaction on both BAMMA’s and Bellator’s rosters. Finally he gets some cage time in this intriguing match up which will see the ex TUF competitor showcase a host of skills which he will have undoubtedly been honing to great effect. Hopefully Fields will have shed his ‘Housewife’s Choice’ moniker and return to ‘The Killing’ that we all know and love.

Skill wise this should be a walk in the park for Fields. However, in the past that has proven to be his undoing as previous match ups have seen him submitted by less than stellar opponents. Fields has a alot to prove here not just for the assembled crowd but for himself as he looks to navigate the LHW landscape at this particular stage of his career.

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